The Calaveras Board of Supervisors meetings are much more important than you may realize.  One of our members, Janet, has generously been taking detailed notes which gives you a chance to follow along.

This link is from the 1/26/21 meeting.  If you’d like to see the actual meeting, a video is available through the County’s website.  If you’d like to download Janet’s notes, they can be found here: 20210126-Calaveras-BoS

We’ve mainly included the detailed notes here from the Public Health Updates.  We’ve mentioned other items but refer you to Janet’s notes and the video for additional information.  Watching the whole video will give you complete information and an appreciation for Janet’s willingness to take these notes.

Pubic meeting called to order at 9:05 a.m.

Staff Announcements

• Lisa Medina – 2/12/21 and 2/13/21 – free dog microchipping – 10 a.m.; adoption fee $14.

Public Health Update

#2. Public Health Services (ID # 5832) Receive an update presentation from staff on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)

• Sam Leach – Today 1,598 total cases; 93 active cases; 1,482 recovered; 23 deaths; four active hospitalizations. Regional stay-at-home orders lifted yesterday; back to being in purple tier prior to stay at home order. Can have outdoor dining, hair-&-nails with limitations.
• Can get information at Covid19.calaverasgov.us; 2,080 vaccines given to date; 1,835 first dose; 245 second dose.
• Testing still important; have done 507 since December 23; testing at Ironstone; tomorrow testing at Armory in Copper; can get tested in Tuolumne county.
• Still in surge; doing contact tracing; still doing testing. Our test positivity rate is twice what it needs to be to get into the red tier.
• Prevention is still the best defense; wash hands, wear face coverings, social distance. The best way to help is not to get Covid.
• Vaccines – two weeks ago just started administering shots at Mark Twain; demand is incredibly high; more demand than supply. Want to do things in an orderly and effective way but also want to do it as efficiently as possible, taking a balanced approach. Administering supplies as quickly as we get them weekly. Trying to do it as orderly and equitably as we can. Got 700 doses at end of last week. This week promised 100 doses; may get more. It is a supply issue statewide. We need to work together and as a team.
• This week continuing to vaccinate through Phase 1A – which includes but is not limited to healthcare workers, long term care facilities, correctional facilities, assisted livings, skilled nursing facilities, paramedics, EMTs, and emergency medical services; home health care; community health workers, public field staff; lab and dental workers; pharmacy staff.
• Phase 1B, Tier 1 – 65+, those at risk at work in education, emergency services, food, and agriculture. Working into this phase. We will work with other age groups thereafter.
• Have had frequent changes and understands the public’s frustration
• Continuing with Phase 1A; then Phase 1B, Tier 1 – 65+, CCOE, started with child care workers this week too. Food and ag workers are on the radar – they will start them in February or March, depends on supply.
• Registration has been difficult and confusing – we understand that and working to solve that with Mark Twain. The State announced MyTurn and we have not received details yet.
• We will have an online registration process as it progresses and more groups are eligible.
• Committed to giving both first and second doses.
• Want residents to be safe, wear masks, distance, wash hands, avoid large crowds. We are partnering with schools and businesses so they can open. We are in this together.
• Foothill Assisted Living is scheduled by CVS to get vaccinated. Will schedule other long-term care facilities in the County that haven’t received shots yet. Should get taken care of by mid-February, if not sooner.
• Still have to follow the same safety precautions after you get both doses. Don’t view it as if you are completely immune and can do whatever you want – that is not accurate. Over the next year, we don’t know who is vaccinated or has Covid which is why we need to use safety precautions.
• At the February 9th BOS meeting, we will have two local doctors who will provide an update from the medical side.
• Important we get information to the community as often as possible because the situation is so fluid and changes daily. The State calls daily and the flow of information is changing constantly. Understands community wants transparency and communicated quickly and regularly.
• If we received 7,000 to 10,000 doses – would be challenging but they would find a way to store it and could get several thousand shots per week. We are ready to go. We are not sitting on any doses. Want to get travel clinics going – building now and hoping it occurs in the next month.
• To go from purple tier to red tier, we need to have a case rate of between 4 to 7 per 100,000. We have over 7 now – 63.5%. Another factor is the testing positivity rate – ours is trending down now. We have to be under 8%; the rolling 7-day average is 13.7%. Both of these factors need to be reduced.
• Doug Archer – Mark Twain Hospital – built good partnerships with County. Unfortunately, no clarity right now state-wide.
• 15 in hospitals; four covid, one in ICU on a ventilator, ICU capacity – three in eight ICU beds – doing pretty well.
• Vaccines – the supply chain is the biggest concern. Hoping, no confirmation yet, for another 100 doses this week. Will host vaccine clinic Thursday and Friday this week – we currently have 400 to administer; might have 500 if we get another 100 doses.
• Gave 300 doses a day, two times last week. It was a good pace for them. Hoping to get more vaccines. Gave 860 vaccines at a clinic last week.
• Challenge remains managing the waitlist. Not used to getting so many calls, have received approximately 15,000 calls and 5,000 on the waitlist. Throughout last year, all clinics in the County saw about 35,000 throughout the entire year.
• People are going on the waitlist now until more vaccines are available.
• Published scheduling two Fridays ago, many were voice mail, within 15 minutes, had 1,000 voice messages. Getting calls quicker than they could answer. Wasn’t a smooth flow.
• Understands public’s anxiety but asks for patience and working on solutions. Didn’t want to pull staff to call people telling them they are on a waitlist because they still have several clinics and hospital to run. To solve the issue – looking at three vendors to call the waitlist and confirm with people they are on the waitlist. Hoping to have vendor hired by end of business today and calls made next week. Hoping this will help reduce anxiety.
• Wants his staff to continue to do vaccines.
• Rumor – they had lost calls and information, wanted to confirm this is not true. Didn’t lose any voice mail or data.
• Will update what vendor was chosen.
• Should have an online platform available for scheduling on Monday, perhaps sooner. Will be open to everyone. Will have phone availability to call as well.
• Very difficult situation for everyone; and understands vaccine is important to many. The best-case scenario probably won’t finish vaccinations until late 2021 or early 2022.
• Will sort list by age and who answers the phone when they call. Have to fill slots as quickly as they can. So for the 65+, the older folks will be scheduled first in that group.
• Moderna wants a second dose 28 days later. The first dose gives you about 60% immunity, the second dose gets you to about 95% immunity. Not enough data to say if you don’t get a second dose if you would have to start over. They are making sure everyone is getting scheduled for a second dose and get it.
• Willing to address issues, and concerns with the community at meetings via Zoom or phone calls.
• The partnership has grown and accessing resources; fundamentally, it is currently a supply issue. We can ramp up to 2,000 per week but we don’t have the vaccines.
• Doing best to sort by age, but it won’t happen consistently and perfectly.
• Public Comments

Consent Agenda

• Supervisor Stopper wants to pull item 6. Concerned re: a substantial increase in bid. County said the original estimate of $80,000 was just a walk-through and general quote from 2016. Actual specifications caused an increase once scoped properly.
  Motion to approve item 6 – Passed – 5-0
• Sheriff Rick DiBasilio wants to pull item 12. States he wants to approve the contract before it is brought to BOS. The contract still moving forward but looks like it will be delayed about one month. Just found out yesterday. Sheriff withdraws item and will turn it into an agenda matter when he can bring it back to BOS.
• Motion to approve items 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 – Passed – 5-0

Regular Agenda

#15. Administrative Office (ID # 5861) After a presentation, provide direction to staff regarding the redistricting process.

• Motion to approve – Passed – 5-0

#17. Planning (ID # 5834) Conduct a public hearing and adopt a Resolution denying the appeal filed by Jerry Jones and upholding the Planning Commission’s action to deny Zoning Amendment 2020-007.

• Lack of motion, the appeal is considered denied.

#18. Planning (ID # 5841) Presentation of the General Plan Implementation Annual Work Program and request for direction on priorities.

#19. Clerk of the Board of Supervisors (ID # 5850) Appointment of applicants to serve on various Committees, Commissions, Advisory Boards and County Service Areas.

• Motion to approve appointments – passed 5-0

Supervisor Announcements

• Supervisor Callaway – did workshop on Moke Hill sanitary district.
• Chair Stopper – attended job training for truck drivers in Calaveras County. Will facilitate people getting into the truck industry. Reach out to Kathy Gallino, Chamber of Commerce, if interested.
• Supervisor Tofanelli – attended child ? – great organization and do a great job, very well run.

Meeting adjourned at 12:57 p.m.